Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sun
by Harkas
Summary: There once was a war called the Scouring; a fierce war waged between man and dragon. Not wanting to take part in the war, users of alchemy and the four elements raised the series of continents known as Weyard in order to escape. Now after nearly 1,000 years apart the two seemingly separate worlds are linked together when Belinsk is attacked by unknown forces. More info inside.
1. Chapter 1

Extended Summary: There once was a war called the Scouring; a fierce war waged between man and dragon. Not wanting to take part in the war, users of alchemy and the four elements raised the series of continents known as Weyard in order to escape. Now after nearly 1,000 years apart the two seemingly separate worlds are linked together when Belinsk is attacked by unknown forces. Unforeseen people, like pieces in a collosal game of strategy and tactics, begin to rise and fall. Matthew and his friends are sent into the unknown hoping to find out their motives while the elder adepts keep their eyes on the Tuaparang. Meanwhile, Bern has been getting more aggressive as of late and Lycia's superpowers, Ostia and Pherae, are worried about what it could mean. Furthermore, rumors place the mysterious tactician Mark, a good friend of three of the Lycian lords, in Bern supposedly helping the Bernese prepare for war. Assumes Mark's "Suberb Mind" ending. Pairings: Mark/Tactician/Lyn, Matthew/Sveta, Karis/Tyrell, FE7 pairings of importance

**Before I get sued: **The only thing I own about these two games series are the game cartridges and my save data. Steal my save data and you die!

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A young, golden-haired Venus adept, Matthew, and the seven other adepts who had journeyed with him not even a year ago, Tyrell, Karis, Reif, Amiti, Sveta, Eoleo and Himi, stared at the strange contraption that was supposedly going to send them from somewhere on the Endless Wall to the land far below Gaia Falls, Elibe. The device looked like whomever had designed it had made a hodgepodge of the Alchemy Forge, Alchemy Well, and the inner mechanisms of Apollo Sanctum. There were some zol blocks that needed to be pushed back into place, an empty bowl that needed filling and poles that would need to be crushed into the ground; they wondered if the invaders had done this or if it was like after they had teleported in. Matthew sighed and couldn't help but recall how they'd ended up in this situation.

**- Sun –**

It had been roughly one year since Matthew, an originally bright yellow, now golden-haired Venus adept, had returned home after obtaining a Roc feather with his two friends, Karis and Tyrell. Karis, the green-haired Jupiter adept was much like her father, Ivan, who was also a Jupiter adept and naturally curious. She was however a bit... more assertive than him to say the least and her anger was legendary for its ferocity and its short fuse. Tyrell was just as, if not more so, hotheaded as his father, Garet was when he first journeyed with Isaac and perhaps still was. His fiery red hair didn't listen to gravity, as it shot straight up, much like he didn't listen to Karis that often. Matthew and Tyrell had been living at the Lookout Cabin, temporarily covering for Isaac and Garet who were nag- er "invited" to come home and spend time with their wives. Their wives had won obviously but Isaac somehow arranged so that they'd be in Bilibin instead of Kalay. All had gone well, no pulses or massive growths seemed to happen to the already giant psynergy vortex when a letter from Sveta arrived.

Matthew had read it as both he and Tyrell assumed it was specifically for him, seeing as the only way he'd been able to comunicate with Sveta was through Isaac's carrier pigeons. They were partially right; a good half or perhaps even more was for Matthew's eyes only but there was a section that said that Matthew should come see her with Tyrell and Karis immediately. Matthew and Tyrell eagerly accepted as just staring at the psynergy vortex all day and night was rather dull. Before he and Tyrell left he made sure to lock the letter in one of the drawers in the desk that was in his room to prevent Tyrell or most likely Karis from reading it and sent a letter to Isaac so he'd know where they were going. It had taken the two of them about three days to make it to Bilibin despite the lack of monster encounters.

When they arrived in Bilibin Tyrell suggested getting permission to go though border town from the McCoys only to regret that decision one day later when they were still in Bilibin. It had taken all of the first day to find Karis and get her to cooperate with them no thanks to Tyrell. She probably would've helped them right away if Tyrell hadn't smashed the project she was working on by accident and refused to apologize about it. Then the trio had then had to wait the rest of the second day as Ivan tried to negotiate with the McCoys. The only thing they could do had been to either wander the streets or visit with Jenna and Isaac, who were staying there until the new soarwing was finished; something Matthew wanted to avoid, or visit Garet who was lodging with Isaac. It wasn't that Matthew didn't love his parents, far from it in fact, it was the fact that Jenna knew he was going to see Sveta and the first thing he'd be asked was how far had they were in their relationship and how far would they planned to go. Blissfully ignorant Karis and Tyrell insisted they visit; it had been a beyond awkward visit for the Venus adept to say the least.

As they left Bilibin Tyrell said it was as if they were about to start another adventure. Not that it could be called that yet; they were just going to see what Sveta had to show them back at Belinsk after all. Matthew had briefly recalled to himself the many things they had accomplished such as restarting the Alchemy Forge and Alchemy Well, besting the Mountain Roc, starting the Grave Eclipse, saving the Sanan prince and princess, ending the Grave Eclipse with the Apollo Lens; the list was quiet extensive to say the least. But now it felt like a new quest awaited the trio of friends and they left Bilibin and Matthew had a spring in his step as they headed towards Belinsk. Tyrell had snickered about something, probably about Matthew's attitude, and apparently set Karis off on him. It was a common enough occurrence that Matthew could simply tune them out until they started yelling at each other; that had only been achieved by Himi.

Two days later they had finally arrived at Belinsk and found something very wrong; part of the outer wall, that had survived the Great Eclipse despite being in the direct center of it, was completely obliterated. They had observed several beastmen were working on the repairs as they entered the city. One of the repairmen had called their names and before they knew it they had been surrounded by grateful beastpeople that hadn't been at Belinsk at the time of their departure. Before it got too out of hand Vande had politely shouted at the beastpeople to give the adepts some space before he himself led them to castle only to disappear once they were outside the throne room. The throne room wasn't much to look at; especially when compared to the Sanan throne room or even to the Ayuthay throne room. There was nothing golden in the room save the now golden color of Matthew's hair. The throne could hardly be called as such seeing as it was simply a glorified chair; however there was still a regal atmosphere despite the lack of gaudiness.

Sveta had been looking out one of the windows when the trio entered; surprisingly she was in her travel clothes from one year prior and her royal adviser nowhere to be seen. Sveta greeted them and Tyrell had explained that they had be swarmed at the entrance which Matthew elaborated that it was due to a repairman recognizing them. Sveta's attitude had dropped when Matthew had mentioned the repairmen but she still gave them the knowledge that it wasn't any of her aggressive neighbors that had attacked them, they had just found a coded letter in the pouch one of the purple-armored enemy commanders dropped, and that she had sent letters to the Warriors of Vale and, upon Ivan's request, their friends from the Grave Eclipse. Karis had immediately volunteered to help with the code and Sveta had sent her to the other researchers that were trying to crack the code.

Since neither Matthew, Tyrell, nor Sveta could hope to help with cracking code the three spent the day exploring Belinsk as Karis worked furiously. When asked why she was out on the town with them by Tyrell, Sveta told them she had decided she was unfit to rule due to having no training and some other reason she refused to tell Tyrell but implied Matthew knew. Matthew said he didn't understand when Tyrell gave him a look of betrayal. Over the course of the day Matthew and Tyrell had learned various things about the city from how quickly it had been rebuilt to where the good places to eat were. When it became dark out Sveta told them that she had arranged for them to stay at the castle until the code was deciphered. When they had arrived back at the castle Ivan was waiting for them and explained Isaac, Jenna, Garet and Mia would be there tomorrow. He was early because he had taken the soarwing he'd fixed and kept for himself. Another was being made for Isaac.

The next day had come with good news. Thanks to Karis and Ivan working throughout the night the code had been substantially cracked and at the rate they were going it would only take about a day or two to finish cracking it. Karis was given the day off by Ivan who insisted she have some fun with her friends and not strain herself to hard. She had spent the day with her friends although she was often caught staring into space; probably wondering how the code was going; however Tyrell did snap her out of it when he accidentally spilt some water he'd been drinking on her. She responded by zapping him to the point where he couldn't move for a whole ten minutes. When Tyrell finally recovered the four friends returned to the castle and found that Isaac, Jenna, Garet, and Mia were talking with Ivan and the researchers.

As they made their way to approach them Reif intercepted them and told them not to bother; he'd already been shooed away twice before they had even started talking. Having nothing better to do the adepts caught up with each other. Reif had apparently returned home immediately and helped his mother out like he used to, while Nowell was still sailing around with Piers doing who knows what. He had also said he'd seen some strange people at the lighthouse but that they hadn't caused any problems or done anything strange. At some point Isaac called them over with a grave expression on his face.

"Tell them Ivan. They should know," Isaac said slowly. It was clear he didn't like what he knew they were going to be told.

"If you insist Isaac," Ivan said hesitantly. He didn't like what he was about to tell them anymore than Isaac, or the other present Warriors of Vale did. "The letter says that they're hunting someone. According on the information in the letter he's an adept from somewhere called Elibe. Based on the description he could be Felix, his potential son or just some random adept. We don't know." Ivan paused and looked at Isaac with a questioning look. Isaac nodded and Ivan began speaking again, "The letter was addressed to a Tuaparang commander named Arcanus; or as you've told us, Alex."

"What we want to know is how Alex managed to get into contact with their leader and what he intends to have them do for him." Isaac said calmly although Matthew could tell it was a forced calmness.

"And that's where you come in," Garet added. "You've fought with the Tuaparang before and in that sense you're ahead of us; but only when it comes to dealing with the Tuaparang. You've still got a lot of maturing left to do." Coming from Garet, Mr. (former) Hothead himself, it felt borderline insulting; it didn't help Garet was in his forties but looked like he was in his early twenties, about their age. But Garet was still right. They had a lot to learn.

"So we've decided that you should go," Ivan said. "It will help in that respect."

"Go where?" Karis asked.

"To Elibe, of course," Isaac said.

"Shouldn't we go to Elibe instead?" Jenna asked as she was worried about sending Matthew into a completely foreign land without any idea where to go. Sure, Matthew had gotten stronger during his journey and even more so by training under Isaac, and occasionally herself after he'd gotten home, but she was still worried. It was a mother's job to worry after all.

"Normally you'd be right." Ivan started to explain. "But the Tuaparang are also involved in this if only because we know Alex is working with them. While they have experience with them and their ways it's still a better choice to send them to a land that doesn't know psynergy since they will have a distinct advantage over any threat to them. Sending them to fight the Tuaparang, who know exactly what they can do, is equally if not more dangerous."

"If anything happens, it's on your head," Mia and Jenna said simultaneously. "We're worried about them." Their shared comments made Matthew and Reif briefly look away out of embarrassment and Ivan pale slightly.

The rest of the day had been spent planning out how they would get to Elibe and what they'd do when they got there. Apparently it was near the bottom of Gaia Falls, however far down that was no one knew or wanted to find out. In order to get down they would need to use a teleporter Ivan had learned about when he had been observing the Tuaparang after the Grave Eclipse. Conveniently it wouldn't require the Teleport Lapis; something that Felix and Sheba had taken when they divided up the psynergy granting items but they'd still have to find the teleporter. Before that though, they were to meet up with Eoleo, who would bring Himi with him to Belinsk, and Amiti who would be waiting in Sana. After that they would find the teleporter, find someone friendly enough to guide them around Elibe and find the man that Alex had the invaders, the Bernese, searching for before they found him.

Eoleo arrived within a week but he had to spend an entire day restocking his ship due to something that happened on his way to get Himi that he wouldn't tell anyone; it had taken spirit sensing a crew member to get even that. Somehow Matthew and Tyrell had been forced into helping the Champan Mars adept load his ship while Reif spent the day with the girls. It had been because, with no disrespect to Reif, he couldn't lift a crate without using his psynergy. Had he been a Jupiter adept it would have been fine but he was a Mercury adept instead so everything he lifted got wet. After about two crates Reif had been told, not so delicately, by Eoleo to stop helping and go do something away from the ship. How that resulted in him spending an afternoon with the girls none of them knew.

About a week later the adepts docked at Sana and found Amiti waiting at the inn with most of the non-perishable supplies already bought. They spent the rest of the day, and half of another, gathering supplies in town. It had been Reif's idea to shop in pairs and, to be honest, he was expecting to get stuck with Amiti but he hoped it wouldn't be the case. Unfortunately for him he was stuck with Amiti as he had expected while Matthew and Sveta went to purchase food, Karis and Tyrell went to stock up on emergency rations, Eoleo took Himi who knows where, and he and Amiti stocked up on various other things. By the end of the second day they had everything they would need for a month long expedition into the unknown; however it was a pain to carry it all.

Climbing the wall had been a sobering event for the adepts as they climbed it; partially due to memories of what had happened the last time they were up there. The other part of it was the fact that the realization that they would be teleported to an unknown land with only the very old map Ivan had given them and random bits of information they had learned from the Bernese soldier's letter finally began to sink in. As they passed by the turn to the Apollo Lens Matthew felt Sveta grab his hand; it seemed she still missed Volechek and with Apollo Sanctum Volechek's grave Matthew supposed that grabbing his hand was all she could do to comfort herself.

They had spent two whole days looking for the teleporter before they finally found it, courtesy of the fiery Mars adepts. They had both been peeved due to spending two whole days walking back and forth on top of the Endless Wall and began stomping their feet as a way of venting. Eoleo at one point stomped so hard the wall beneath him cracked and Tyrell, not seeing the crack, stomped down even harder which had ended up with him falling about ten feet and landing directly in front of the teleporter. After the rest of the adepts had lowered themselves into the room they were surprised that Tyrell's hotheadedness didn't get them into trouble for once.

**- Sun –**

During his own sudden recollection Matthew had fallen asleep to the amusement of his friends. They had already fixed/activated the teleporter and were waiting for him to wake up when Sveta tapped his shoulder. He didn't respond the first time nor any following attempts until she used Slap on him. Sveta had been training when she could and her psynergy showed it; the effect on Matthew would've been comical had she not immediately rushed to his side and started apologizing before he even woke up. His response upon waking up gave the adepts a good laugh before the weight of the mission had another sobering effect on the group of eight.

The teleporter was large enough to fit the entire group surprisingly, in fact it looked like it could fit a far larger number of people on it. The teleporter began to hum as the final adept steeped on and in the next instant there was a blinding light. To the adepts it felt like something was sucking at them, both physically and spiritually, draining them of their strength. The feeling lasted only a moment but they still felt drained when the teleport finished and they arrived in the foreign land. The ruins they found themselves in were massive and they stared in at awe at their beautiful blue glow for a time before searching the ruins for something like a map or something similar; however they found nothing save a massive room with a throne towards their right. Next them there was a fountain spewing water which wouldn't have been strange under normal circumstances, but almost one hundred meters away they could see the entrance of the ruins led to a desert. Just where were they exactly and how would they be able to cross the desert?

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_A/N: Next chapter I'll introduce some of the Fire Emblem characters that will play a semi-main to main role in the story (hope you like Pent and the lords!). Also, think of this as a "coming into your own" kind of thing for me. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to things like this (ie. too harsh of a self critic) and I work a lot every week and coupled with school this is probably going to be slow until Summer (two weeks away baby!) where I'll only have work to deal with. So I ask that while I'm still kinda new to this please be thorough with your reviews so I know what should be improved/fixed in the story._


	2. Chapter 2

_More introduction of semi-important to important characters, minus one Pent. I've considered adding a stat sheet for the FE crew and potentially making one up for the GS crew. It would be in Awakening/non-GBA FE format because magic would count as psynergy. For example Isaac would probably be a Hero mixed with a Sage in terms of stats._

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A lone cloaked man looked longingly back at castle Caelin with hazel eyes as he fled into the night. His tactician cloak was as green as the grasses of Sacae and covered most of his body; including his dark brown hair when the hood was up. The front was currently open and showed his viridian chestplate when he ran. His trusted steel sword was secured in the shield that was strapped to his back. His pants were a dirt brown and tucked into his brown travel boots.

He didn't want to leave but it was for the best; Bern was without a doubt after him by now and he couldn't risk dragging Caelin, let alone Lycia, into Bern's hunt for him because that would involve Lyn. Lyn, or rather Lyndis, the sole reason he was alive and until tonight in Caelin's service. He wanted her to be safe; even if it meant leaving her to someone else, Kent for example. He'd known about the red paladin's enamorment with her for a while now but that didn't stop him from keeping Kent away from her during the war against the Black Fang. Looking back it wasn't fair, but all's fair in love and war as they say. Besides, he realized sadly as he fled, he couldn't ever hope to be with Lyndis because of what he was, an outcast, a freak.

He'd never told her but he remembered being chased from a town when he was about thirteen, nearly dying in the process. It was because of some strange magic ability that he had developed; he could control earth, making plants grow or conjuring rocks for example. However that was all he remembered, everything else seemed blurry and unrecognizable.

It was using those very same powers how he had escaped the castle without detection. Or so he had thought. He heard galloping and regretted the fact that, while Caelin didn't have much to boast about in terms of military might, Caelin's Calvary weren't to be taken lightly; especially if the rider that was after him was either Kent or Sain. He should have figured they'd know where to find him seeing as the last time he tried to pull a disappearing act they had been the ones who found him on this very path those three years ago. Back then he'd let himself be caught only because he knew they'd let him leave anyway; now he was sure he wouldn't be allowed to leave if he was caught. He'd love to simply make vines grow and entangle the horse's feet but that would most likely injure the rider mortally; he couldn't afford to have Caelin and Bern hunting him so he did the one thing he could: run.

He ran not even twenty yards when a familiar green-armored paladin, Sain, blocked the path in front of him. Of course they had thought ahead he'd realized; the path he'd taken was far slower than the normal road, it was no wonder how Sain had gotten in front of him. He was trapped essentially; Sain to his front and Kent not far behind he was sure. Three years ago he had given up in the exact same situation but things were different now; back then he wasn't hunted by Bern for his tactical prowess or by Etruria for his strange "magic". In short he had to run, there was no other option.

Although he regretted it, Sain would have to be incapacitated by any means necessary. The quickest way would have been to conjure a chunk of earth and have it fall on him but that would have potentially harmed him far more than he intended. Instead he'd have to entangle him; provided he didn't move it would be relatively easy, all he needed was a distraction. Thankfully, said distraction had come when Sain questioned why he was leaving this time to which Mark had said he "felt like it" which, as he had planned, sent Sain into an outrage, listing various reasons why he should stay.

Sain hadn't even noticed that he and his horse couldn't move until Mark had strolled by within an arm's reach and then broke into a sprint after Sain realized he couldn't reach him. That was the last he, let alone anyone else in Caelin, saw the mysterious tactician. When he and Kent returned the next morn without him Lady Lyndis had seemed to take it surprisingly well; although, knowing her and how much she cared for her friends, him especially, he knew his sudden departure had hurt her deeply. Sain didn't have the heart to tell her about how he'd escaped. Questions without answers soon filled the Caelin countryside and eventually word spread throughout all of the Lycian League that one of history's greatest minds had vanished without a trace.

Mark yawned as he woke up. That had happened two years ago; today was the anniversary, and yet the event still plagued his dreams. Nothing had changed since then, well other than the fact that he'd taken refuge in Lyn's abandoned Ger in Sacae. To be honest he was surprised that it was still there after being left unattended for four years. Everything they hadn't been able to take with them was still inside as well; even though it was mostly just empty chests or the like. He'd been there for about a year and a half, living off of the gold he'd been paid after Eliwood's war with the Black Fang and the gold he'd been paid for his time serving Caelin, mostly as a tactics instructor to the many students that hailed from Lycia and a few from Etruria.

Only two people knew he was in Sacae; one of them was Rath who'd stumbled upon him after he'd left Bulgar for the first time since leaving Caelin. At the time word hadn't yet spread to Sacae about his mysterious disappearance and that a few Lycian knights had been dispatched to find him; no one but he himself knew about the Bernese soldiers trying to find him however. He'd learned, during his trips to Bulgar for supplies, that the knights that had been sent to find him were Wallace, Marcus, Lowen, and Sain. The only one he was actually worried about was Wallace; with his lack of direction it was entirely possible that he'd somehow end up around there in Sacae during one of the many times Mark was out in the open. For that reason he often left his armor and Caelin cloak in the Ger whenever he went to Bulgar; he had a spare cloak for that lest he be recognized and turned over for the reward that had been placed on him for some unknown reason.

Pent, Count Reglay of Etruria, was the only other person who knew where he was, but that was for personal reasons; mainly due to the vision Athos had before the final battle with Nergal. In it Athos had said that one day others like him would journey to Elibe seeking him; it was for that purpose why Pent knew where he was, so he could direct them to wherever he was. Their point of entrance had been in the vision; it was the place where Mark and the lord's had met Athos for the first time.

For that reason Pent more or less abandoned his role as a Mage General of Etruria to monitor the strange device he'd discovered after Athos' passing. Seeing as letters would never reach Nabata the only way the two of them could share information was face-to-face. For that purpose Pent had taught him how to warp via Mark's strange "magic" that, after some study, proved to be similar to the magic Pent used; however neither of them could warp from Nabata to Caelin or vice-versa, let alone Sacae, so once a month they'd warp to a known-to-be abandoned fort and share what they'd learned. Although recently only Pent had information to share; like how with each passing day the device seemed the glow brighter and brighter...

**- Blaze –**

Besides having never fallen since its creation castle Ostia was normally a peaceful place; however today was anything but normal for Ostia. It was such an abnormal day the Lycian council had assembled and waited for it leader, the somewhat recently crowned brother of the now deceased Uther, Hector, to officially start the meeting. The reason why Hector hadn't started yet was because he was feeling apprehensive about starting the meeting due to knowing exactly what it was about; Bern's recent actions and what would happen if the rumor that Mark would be Bern's tactician in the event of war was true. Hector glanced at Eliwood looking for some reassurance since he was still new to being a Marquess, let alone the head of the Lycian League, and Eliwood had at least been raised to be a Marquess.

Eliwood had caught Hector's glance and gave him the best "you'll be fine" look he could muster. In truth Eliwood was even more worried than Hector due to information that he would later have to tell the council; the knights that he and Caelin's Marchioness, who hadn't been able to attend the meeting due to something with Lord Hausen, had sent out knights to find the mysterious tactician Mark who, from various rumors in Caelin and a few unnamed spies, was supposedly in Bern.

The disturbing part of it was that, directly after rumors of Mark's disappearance spread, Bern closed their borders and made border checks much more frequently; as if they looking for someone who would mostly likely have to go through the Lycia/Bern border. Even though Eliwood did not personally know King Desmond he wouldn't put it past him to try to kidnap Mark to use as a hostage or worse since he'd tried to get his own son assassinated.

The sound of wood pounding on wood rang through the room and pulled Eliwood from his thoughts as all eyes turned to Hector. "This meeting is officially in session," Hector said stiffly. It sounded like he'd been rehearsing it for a while now. "As you all know Bern has been acting strange recently." There were a few murmurs of conformation and Hector continued. "Now, I'm sure that you have heard the rumors of war and who will lead them should war breakout. I ask you keep an open mind until you hear what Marquess Pherae has to say."

Eliwood stood up immediately and began speaking so as to not lose the slight momentum Hector gave him. "Recently Bern's reasons have been unknown but recently I've learned through my Intelligence that Bern is looking for something or someone. Based on the reports I can say that they're most likely looking for Caelin's previous tactical instructor, Mark of Caelin, who disappeared roughly two years ago. However I can confirm that while he is missing, he is not with anyone of significant power or political sway in Bern."

"Then where is he?" Marquess Araphen questioned. "I'll not have your information prove false and wake up one morn to find assassins in my castle and the might of Bern on my doorstep! Bern can be very persuasive with promises of power or other means if it's something they want. That man is just as dangerous as he is helpful; why would you allow him such freedom in the first place?"

Several others of the council, mostly Caelin's representative, added their concerns and complaints; several, mostly Caelin and Laus, claimed that he knew the layout of their respective castles to the point where he could easily map out directions for assassins and tell them the guard shifts. While it was true for Caelin, everyone present, save the new Marquess of Santaruz and perhaps Tuscana's Marquess, knew Lord Erik was putting on a show of being concerned whereas Darin, who had mysteriously disappeared after attacking Caelin, wouldn't have cared less.

A few others claimed before he taught his students he'd ask for information on their lord's castle. With all the arguing that was taking place among the various Marquees and Caelin's representative about matters of security Elwood wondered how long he'd be stuck in council; Ninian and Roy were waiting for him back in Pherae. And although he didn't want to admit it, Ninian's time was growing short.

Hector seemed to be listening intently to Caelin's representative but that was only because he was imagining him as Mark. There was a minor resemblance but not enough to really warrant seeing as Mark except for the fact that Mark used to be Caelin's representative who'd accompany Lyn to the Lycian Council because Hausen couldn't make it with his old age. It was a fun pass time; imagining Mark saying what the representative was saying about Mark. If it was Mark saying it though it would've somehow been more interesting to Hector if only because Mark wouldn't say half the things that were being said about himself due to being, in Hector's words, "too damn humble" for his own good.

It had taken six months to finally get Mark to let him reward him for his help with the near elimination the Black Fang; it took so long because in order for that to happen his achievements would have to be made public. "Maybe he just had low confidence in himself? Or maybe there was something else?" Hector wondered as the council was once again abuzz over something someone had said. Not that his current thoughts mattered, what was done was done and couldn't be changed.

**- Blaze -**

"Marquess Hausen is dying," the Bishop told his lady liege who stood over her grandfather's sleeping form. "While what you did helped him make a near full recovery the long term effects of the poison, such as losing several years of life due to increased strain on the body, cannot be reversed… I'm sorry."

"How long does he have?" Lyn asked the bishop bluntly.

"Under constant care and continual bed rest he may have three years. While the poison shortened his life you still managed to give him several years back. He's mostly dying from his age now but the poison has played a role… Excuse me, Milady." With a quick bow the bishop exited the room, leaving Lyn alone with her grandfather.

"Grandfather…" Lyn murmured, unsure of what else to do. There was still so much she needed him for now that Mark had disappeared. She felt lost without either of their guidance and feared that without one or the other at her side she was unfit to rule over Caelin. Granted, her grandfather still had several years left but what then? No one knew where Mark was and his letter had been very vague save needing to leave for something important. Over the past year and a half her mind had been plagued by-

"Excuse me Milady," one of the Caelin guards said as he walked in to the room quietly. "Pardon my untimely intrusion but there's two Sacae Plainsman waiting for you in the throne room. One of them said they have information that you'd like to hear."

"Did they tell you their names?" Lyn asked.

"They said their names were Rath and Guy of the Koth- Kutl- Kato-"

"The Kutolah?"

"Yeah that," the guard replied sheepishly. "Anyway they said it's really important and for your ears only."

"_What could be so important?" _Lyn wondered as she made her way to the throne room.

Rath stood impassively in the spot he'd been told to wait in. His horse hadn't been allowed inside but other than that he was mostly the same as he was three years ago; his green hair was still partially covered by his red bandanna and his garb hadn't changed except for some size alterations. At his side Guy nervously squirmed in his spot as he waited for Lyn to show Rath he hadn't changed much; he still sported his blue headband and tunic.

Rath didn't want to betray Mark in this sense but with all the rumors of him in Bern and Lyn's grandfather slowly dying he couldn't keep silent anymore. He was glad Mark hadn't noticed his presence when he'd seen him in Bulgar; Mark would have made him promise not to tell anyone and he wouldn't have been able to tell Lyn. His Sacaen code of honor was too great a thing to be broken. Guy was telling Rath they should leave while they could when Lyn entered through the doors to his left.

"Hello Rath, Guy," Lyn greeted them as she walked into the room. She was dressed in what seemed to be a cross between her Sacaen dress and the dress that was "mandatory" for a noble such as herself to wear; it been an uphill battle for her when even Mark, for some strange reason, needed to be persuaded that in the event of an attack she needed to be able to run from the attackers. "So what is it that you want to tell me?"

Rath looked down to Guy who at the same moment looked up at him and they shared a look; Rath would tell his part and Guy would tell his. "Mark is in Sacae," Rath said bluntly. He saw an indescribable look pass over Lyn's face but she quickly hid it and he continued on. "I saw him before the rumors placed him in Bern. He was heading west."

"And I saw him just before Rath left to go and tell you," Guy added. "He was in Bulgar buying supplies that looked like they'd last him about three weeks or so. The guy he bought it from said he came into town every three weeks buying exactly the same things. The guy said he was more consistent than the sky above his head."

"I… see…" Lyn said shakily; she didn't know how to take information. On one hand she was happy that she knew that Mark was safe; on the other she felt a strange whirl of emotions ranging from joy to guilt when she thought of forcing him return to Caelin or possibly going to Sacae herself and getting the answers from him. But what, not to mention how, would she tell the knights about Mark? Sain and Wallace had gone together to prevent Wallace from getting lost, but Lyn was relatively certain that Wallace had somehow gotten lost somewhere along the way.

"If it helps Lyn," Guy began. "He seemed perfectly fine. Although," Guy shook his head, "I wonder where he stays. From what me and Rath saw he went west from Bulgar and it couldn't be that far if he makes the trip constantly. Where would he go…"

"I've got a good idea where he'd go if it was still there," Lyn said knowingly. "It's the only place west of Bulgar that he knows."

"And where is that?" Rath asked curiously.

"The starting point of our journey to Caelin," Lyn said with complete certainty.

* * *

A/N: Okay I lied last time. No Pent this chapter, but he was mentioned at least! Besides you should know why he didn't have his own little section if you paid attention to Mark's section. How many of you scrolled up to re-read that? Be honest now. For those concerned about Mark being OP for a FE7 tactician take a look at Avatar/Robin in Awakening. He's (spoilers) for Elimine's/The Wise One's sake! Imagine the amount of power he has with (spoilers) in him; his magical power would be far greater than average if only for the fact that he's a (spoilers) and incredibly old. Side question: If I get around to making the stat sheets what skill(s) should the GS/FE characters have? I would appreciate ideas or opinions.


	3. Chapter 3

For all you Pent fans, this chapter's dedicated to you… and typical FE and GS fans too I guess. Actually why am I dedicating this chapter to fans in the first place? They know who they are and it's not like either fan-base has died or something... Anyway, I'm pushing back FE6 and FE7's timeline back a bit so that the lords and other couples won't be overly busy with their children/dead or something like that. (Karlaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Besides Canas dying in a blizzard is BS)

Review Response Corner :D

**jokershipper: **Shh! (Those are spoilers!) Anyway, I assume all those questions means that you're interested in the story, which is awesome. (Don't worry they get explained soon. For the sun related questions… let's say Elibe has a lot of *puts on sunglasses* Dark Dawns. jk). Also thanks for the thorough review; knowing my mistakes helps.

**Disclaimer**: Still only own my save data. Those 120+ hours I put into my attempts at S ranking LHM, EHM and HHM as well as grinding in GS, GSTLA, and GSDD aren't going anywhere.

* * *

"Well what do we do now?" Tyrell asked the obvious question. To be fair, the question was on all of the adepts' minds after they had realized they weren't prepared to cross a desert even with all their preparation; Tyrell had just been the first to speak.

"I'm not sure what we can do without knowing where we are," Reif answered. "Maybe the map Ivan gave us will help."

"Good idea," Karis said as she began digging in her personal bag until she found the map and laid it on the ground so everyone could see. The map was in surprisingly good condition for being an estimated 1,000 years old; although, it was probably older than that. Miraculously it was still foldable to a degree and didn't crumble to dust when touched. The adepts gathered around the map as Karis tried to make sense of the map.

"I think we're… No, probably…" Karis trailed off as she looked over the map; pointing at places where they might be. It was strange; on the map there **were** some helpful notes, however there wasn't the slightest indication of a desert in any way, shape, or form. Finally with a defeated sigh Karis looked up and said, "I have no idea where we are."

The other adepts responded with "what?" with different amounts of volume and emotion. The common emotion was surprise that Karis had actually been stumped by a mere map when she had helped Matthew with some of the harder puzzles and guard mechanisms that they had frequently run into during their journey. The other emotion, courtesy of Tyrell, was aggression.

"What do you mean you don't know where we are?" Tyrell shouted, creating an echo.

"Exactly what I said, Tyrell; I don't know where we are!" Karis yelled back also creating an echo.

Matthew sighed, even in their current predicament Karis and Tyrell still had the time to argue it seemed. He considered stepping in to intervene but past experiences of only getting one or the other more upset because he was supposedly "taking a side" stopped him. He decided to let them yell it out because it had been proven to work in the past. _"Besides, it's not like anyone else is in the ruins or nearby to hear them,"_ Matthew reasoned with himself.

**- Blazing Sun –**

A lone Arcadian dragon ran through the halls looking for his master. The dragon, known as Reyv to his acquaintances and his master, was the closest thing to a purebred fire dragon on Elibe's side of the Dragon's Gate, his father being half fire dragon/half human and his mother being completely fire dragon; his blood played a crucial role in his apprenticeship. A simple red cloak befitting a mage, although he'd been told he already had the magical power of a sage, was draped over his blue tunic and brown pants.

"Master, where are you Master?" Reyv shouted through the corridors; his master hadn't been in his room with wife where Reyv thought he'd be. He didn't notice his silver-haired master, reading as he walked, until they were about a foot apart; but, by then it was too late and the pair tumbled to the ground after colliding with each other.

"What do you want at such a late hour?" Pent asked with a groan when he noticed his apprentice sprawled on the floor as he stood up, tome still in hand. "I heard you from the main library, Reyv."

"It's the temple where the Archsage's Forblaze is kept," Reyv said rapidly even as he stood up. "A light that was strong enough to blind Elimine herself came from it not half an hour ago with some **very** loud yelling shortly after. I've been trying to find you since then."

"So they've arrived…" Pent said to himself. "I wonder how Mark will feel about meeting others like him."

"Master, are you referring to the Archsage's first prophecy?"

"Yes I am Reyv," Pent answered solemnly. "Now shall we go and greet our guests?" Pent asked as he started mumbling the teleport incantation. Reyv knew it wasn't a question; if he didn't he'd probably be the one example that defied the popular saying among dragons, "with age, comes wisdom". He was nearly 1,000 years old, much like the dragon oracle Ninian. Secretly he wanted to meet her and the many others that Pent had told him about when he returned to Arcadia without the Archsage.

It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter anyway; the incantation was short and surprisingly uncomplex considering the amount of magic one had to possess in order to keep their life after using so much of their magic. In short, it could be performed at a moment's notice and Reyv wouldn't have time to move if he wanted to. Next thing he knew he was outside the temple's entrance and Pent was shoving him inside saying, "you look more like a messenger me".

Reyv wanted to protest that, if his dragonstone wasn't being kept from him until he was an official sage, he **could **transform into his fire dragon form whenever he wanted; however, Pent would remind him why it was being kept from him until then. It bothered him whenever that topic was brought up so, with a defeated sigh, he marched forward into the temple trying his best to hide his sour mood.

Even with his mood, the brilliant blue of the inner temple stunned him; it probably helped that he'd been told this was Athos' personal study for the many years he'd been in Arcadia and that alone, not counting the beauty of the temple, was enough to brighten his mood considerably. Near the throne he counted eight figures of varying sizes all bent over something and figured they were the "visitors" Pent had sent him to meet with.

Not knowing what else to do he just continued walking hoping that they'd eventually notice him. About halfway to the group of eight two of them broke away and started walking towards him. As the two grew closer Reyv noted one was male and the other was female; their clothing was also very outlandish. The female had silver hair like his master's and pointed ears like his, whereas the male had a strange golden color to his hair and normal ears; he wondered if the female was a divine dragon and the male was her bodyguard.

**- Blaze –**

"Finally, we're out of that blasted council," Hector said as he and Eliwood exited the council. The council had lasted into the next day due to all the bickering.

"Come now Hector," Eliwood said wearily, "it wasn't that bad."

"You sure you're nerves aren't just frayed Eliwood? All we did was sit and listen as various Marquees, and Caelin's representative, bickered with one another over a friend of ours. It was more boring than numbers class!"

"To be realistic it _is _Mark's fault for disappearing so-"

"Milord Hector!" one of the nearby Ostian guards shouted as he ran up and kneeled before Hector. "Your wife left the castle while you were gone and has yet to return," he said in a whisper.

"What!" Hector roared causing the guard to seemingly shrink into his armor and several passing Marquees to stop in their tracks. "What the hell were the castle guards doing!"

"Apparently o-one of h-her maids helped h-her l-leave unnoticed…" the poor guard managed to say despite his trembling. "S-She left a n-note saying where s-she was going."

Hector raised his eyebrow yet still managed to keep his intimidating face. "Where did she go?" His voice dropped dangerously low; it didn't help his temper was one of the things he wasn't good at keeping in check.

"I-I was told to give it t–to you," the guard said as he held out a sealed letter. The second Hector took the letter out of the guard's hand the guard was gone lest he be subject to more of Hector's wrath.

Hector torn open the letter so furiously, Eliwood, and the small crowd that had gathered at the base of the steps, were amazed he hadn't torn the letter itself in two. Hector's expression seemed to calm as he read the letter and by the time he finished reading he no longer looked like he was going to kill someone.

"What's it say?" Eliwood asked after Hector's expression had calmed.

"Nothing much," Hector began in a whisper. "It says she heard that Lord Hausen was sick, and possibly dying, so she decided to visit Lyndis in Caelin to support her."

"That makes sense," Eliwood began. "Ninian did mention that she wanted to visit Caelin. Unfortunately, Roy needs her and she knows that something as excessive as traveling to Caelin will only shorten her time here."

Hector smacked himself. "Sweet Elimine, Lilina!" Hector nearly shouted but somehow managed to keep it to a loud whisper. "If Florina isn't taking of Lilina than who is?"

"Peace, Hector. I'm sure Florina thought of that before she left." Eliwood said as he slung a reassuring arm around his taller friend's neck. "At the worst you'll have to give your undivided attention to Lilina for a few days."

"Elimine save me," Hector joked as he and Eliwood headed for castle Ostia. "I suppose now I'll have to send some guards after her so it looks like it was planned beforehand."

"That would be surprisingly wise of you Hector," Eliwood laughed.

"Hey!"

**- Blaze -**

Mark awoke to the sound he'd been dreading for the past year and a half: footsteps other than his own. Obviously, in Bulgar it wasn't an issue because in the trading city of Sacae many people walked around looking for trinkets or supplies; they weren't looking for him. _"No one should be out here," _Mark thought to himself as his eyes adjusted, not that he needed them to. Using his "magic" he surveyed the area around his- Lyn's Ger; it was a useful trick he'd picked up at the start of the "Caelin Struggle" as he called it. He had to admit the success of both the Caelin Struggle and the Unknown War was partly because of that particular ability.

His survey revealed a lone woman; he could tell her gender based on certain… things. She seemed to be pacing in front of hi- Lyn's Ger; however, there was no clanking sound so it was unlikely she was after him, or in the very least Bernese, but Mark didn't live by himself for a year and a half without becoming paranoid. As silently as he could, Mark donned his chestplate and grabbed his sword before moving to the closed opening of the Ger.

The woman stopped pacing suddenly, as if he heard Mark moving, but quickly renewed her pacing; this time mumbling something as well, "when will the sun rise".

"_Strange," _Mark thought, _"why would she wait for the sun to rise?" _Not even Mark's vast knowledge could decipher any probable meaning to the woman's words. Mark wished his ability would give him a detailed look of the woman but all he could see was a general outline, which was usually not very accurate; he remembered that Wallace had looked like a bear when he used his ability.

Before he could elaborate further a certain memory from the Unknown War was brought to the front of his mind. In the memory, Florina paced in front of the tent he shared with Hector. It was early in the morning; like it was now, as she waited for the sun to rise. At the time Mark had been confused until a loud snore from Hector made him realize that Florina was probably waiting for Hector to wake up.

After the brief memory Mark was relatively certain it was Florina out there now; however, that made even less sense then when he didn't know who was out there. Florina was married to Hector, effectively being the wife of Marquess Ostia and as such she shouldn't have been able to be in Sacae without, at the very _least, _a score of Ostia's finest.

"_This shouldn't be possible!" _Mark screamed in his head. _"As the wife to a Marquess she should have a least one guard to protect her, no matter what Hector says. News of her departure would've spread and reached me by now…" _Suddenly a realization donned on the famed strategist. "The knights were decoys to keep my attention off of Ostia's movements… Damn you Hector!" Mark shouted, knowing full well that the woman would hear him.

To his surprise, nothing happened. Additionally the sound of footsteps disappeared along with the outline he could see with his "magic". Entirely confused Mark threw open the entrance flap to find, once again to his surprise, nothing there; not even footprints on the ground. Mark stepped outside the Ger and checked feathers from a pegasus or scales from wyvern to see if they'd flown away but found nothing of the sort. Mark didn't notice the pinkish cloud envelop him as he searched for signs of a human.

Suddenly panic overtook Mark; in his mind he imagined himself waking up to clanking armor and marching soldiers that slowly surrounded the Ger. He raced back into the Ger to put on the rest of his armor and his original cloak before putting all the supplies he could hold in his spare cloak, using it as a sack of sorts, and fled to the southwest. He decided that when he reached the fort he and Pent usually met in, about a week long journey, he'd teleport to Arcadia where no one could find him; Sacae was no longer safe enough for the paranoid strategist and he was willing to risk his life to remain hidden.

Had Mark looked up in his moment of panic he would've seen a teal haired man dressed in a white robe with a mask covering his forehead and left eye floating above the Ger. In his hand he held an empty bottle labeled 'Delusion Perfume'. "So Chalis was right," the masked man said. "It really does have a stronger effect on stronger minds. Truly a shame she and Blados disobeyed orders and paid the price," he chuckled darkly. "I almost regret setting them up for personal gain."

"_With any luck the Superb Mind forgot what I was sent to retrieve," _the masked man thought as he floated down and began searching the Ger.

**- Blazing Sun –**

Matthew studied the man walking towards them. The man wasn't taller than Tyrell and didn't look very threatening, but for some reason his warrior's instinct was telling him to be careful around him. It confused the young adept because the man seemed to be scared of them after he had gotten a better look at Sveta and himself. It raised questions in his mind like "were beastpeople feared" or "was silver hair a bad sign"? However he resisted the urge to ask his questions until he explained things.

"G-Greetings," the man stuttered as he addressed them, although he was focused on Sveta. "I've been told you're looking for someone."

"How do you know about us?" Matthew asked, rightfully suspicious of the man. It was a precaution due to all of the tricks the Tuaparang had pulled on them in the past; he didn't doubt that the Tuaparang would set a trap for them at the very spot where they would arrive.

The man didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just didn't care; for all Matthew knew the man could swat him like a fly. "The Archsage told of your arrival several years ago," the man said, sounding somewhat more relaxed.

"Could we meet with him?" Sveta asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid you can't," the man said. "Archsage Athos died shortly after he gave the prophecy exclusively to my master and someone like you. I'd tell you more but my master knows more about the subject than I. If you'd gather your friends I can show you to his study."

"Thank you for your kindness, we'll be back shortly," Sveta said before grabbing Matthew's arm and nearly dragging him back towards the group.

"What did you find out with Spirit Sense that you had to drag me like that?" Matthew asked when they were back with the other adepts.

"There wasn't much," Sveta said somewhat regretfully. "It almost felt like he had a mental wall blocking his thoughts."

"Do you think he part of the Tuaparang?" Reif asked. "I mean no one knows where their homeland is; who's to say it isn't down here? Not to mention they'd know about your Spirit Sense ability."

"I don't think he's Tuaparang."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I don't think the Tuaparang are a race of dragons or that they would confuse me for a 'divine dragon' that purges earth dragons."

The other adepts, save the Venus adepts who remained silent and giggled respectively, burst out laughing when Sveta finished speaking. "You're kidding right?" Eoleo asked still laughing.

"I'm completely serious," Sveta said dryly, causing the laughing to immediately stop with Eoleo muttering a near inaudible "oh".

**- Blazing Sun –**

Reyv led the "adepts", or so they called themselves, through the most untraveled streets of Arcadia; it simply wouldn't do to risk the chance of one of the dragon council seeing the group after all. Normally it would have been easy enough to sneak through Arcadia in the dead of night; however, the amount of, what seemed to be, dragon magic that radiated off of the adepts was making it far more difficult than it should be. It took most of the vast amount of magic that Reyv had in him to mask their strange magic with his own.

Fortunately that was the only hiccup in Reyv's plans and now they were safely in the corridor outside of Pent's study. Reyv knocked on the door instead of opening the door and barging in like he usually did. "Master Pent I've brought them like you asked."

There was an audible sigh and the sound of shuffling feet before Pent answered, "it's open Reyv."

Taking that as his cue, Reyv opened the door only to take a step back due to the glare Pent was giving him. Slightly behind Pent, and almost out of sight at that, was a purple haired girl in a light purple dress with a dark purple cloak. "Who's that?" Reyv asked, pointing at the girl.

Pent sighed as he gestured towards the girl. "Reyv this is Sophia. She was sent here because the dragon elders thought you'd stolen your dragonstone, transformed, and went on _another_ rampage," Pent reprimanded. With the mention of rampage several of the adepts took a step away from Reyv. Pent sighed again. "What compelled you to use so much of your magic?"

"Well you see…" Reyv began nervously, "I was trying to mask their magic to not draw attention to them as I lead them here."

"That worked well," one of the adepts behind Reyv deadpanned. Reyv swore it was one of the red haired adepts and secretly swore vengeance against the both of them.

"Anyway," Pent interrupted, "there's not much harm done. Sophia will just have to listen in while," he gestured to the adepts, "they explain their reasons for coming here. Reyv and I will help you regardless of what the council decides," Pent reassured the adepts and ignored the look his apprentice gave him.

The adepts were surprised by how quickly they were forced into the spotlight and as such it took a bit for them to respond. Tyrell was the first to speak. "I'm Tyrell," he said with his usual enthusiasm before pointing at Matthew, "and that's Matthew. He's our leader but he doesn't talk that much."

"Ugh, please ignore him he's always like this," Karis groaned. "Anyway, my name's Karis and it's a pleasure to meet you. To save time," Karis began pointing at the remaining adepts and listing the name that corresponded with the adept, "that's Reif, Amiti, Sveta, Eoleo, and Himi."

"It's a pleasure," Pent said with a short bow. "My name is Pent Reglay and I am a Mage General of Etruria but you may call me Pent. I'm sure you've met my apprentice, Reyv who should have already introduced himself. So pray tell, how and why have you come to Elibe?"

Once again it took a bit for the adepts; however, this time they formed a small circle and began to debate amongst themselves over what they would and wouldn't tell the man called Pent. During the adept's debate Pent noticed Reyv whisper something to Sophia out of the corner of his eye and the usually shy girl actually giggled in response.

The adept's decided that it would probably be best to tell an abridged version of their journey for the time being. Karis and Matthew told the three Elibeans about the start of their journey, due to Tyrell refusing to listen to reason, up until they met Reif who told them about their journey before meeting Amiti. Amiti in turn told them about getting Insight and restarting the Alchemy Forge until them met Sveta who ended up explaining until them met Himi and Himi explained the rest.

After that Sveta explained to the three about what happened to Belinsk and about the letter they'd found on the Bernese commander. At that point Matthew took over and explained what their plan was and how they had arrived in Elibe. By the time they finished the sun had risen and the group of eleven realized they'd pulled an all-nighter.

"Interesting," Pent mused. "So you call yourselves adepts and you wield not only Psynergy but weapons as well? Perhaps you could give a demonstration of your Psynergy."

"I'll do it," Matthew volunteered. Matthew closed his eyes and concentrated on making vines grow and entangle the Mage General. To his surprise Pent stepped away from the vines and set them aflame.

"Impressive," Pent said, "although I take it that was rather basic Psynergy?"

"Of course," Matthew said. "You only asked for a demonstration."

"Of course…" Pent frowned. "Reyv is that the "magic" you tried to hide? What point would there be in hiding magic not much different than my own?"

To Pent's surprise Sophia answered. "Their magic feels… familiar. It feels like my magic."

"How do you mean? You practice elder magic do you not Sophia?" Pent asked.

"I think she means that it feels like dragon magic, Master," Reyv answered. "I tried to mask it with my own because otherwise it would have seemed like eight dragons had suddenly entered Arcadia. I felt that the elders would be more concerned about eight seemingly dragons entering Acadia instead of one rampaging fire dragon."

"Wait a minute," Karis interrupted. "Do you mean that you're actually a dragon?"

"I am curious as well," Sveta added. "Earlier you thought that I was a 'divine dragon'."

"Well," Reyv began, "we're not _technically _dragons; the actual term for us is Manakete ever since the air changed during the Scouring. Before then I would be able to say that everyone in Arcadia is a dragon and be correct; however, now we are Manaketes and need dragonstones to transform into our actual dragon forms."

"But why did you think that I was a divine dragon?" Sveta asked again. "And what was the 'Scouring'?"

"For the first question, your ears," Reyv said as though it was obvious although the adepts were clearly confused. "Let me explain, most Manaketes, or at least full-blooded ones, have longer ears than typical humans; probably due to our dragon blood. Combined with the seemingly dragon magic emitting from you, your silver hair, Matthew's golden hair, and the magic- I'm sorry, Psynergy, I could sense from you it seemed a logical conclusion."

"Oh," was all Sveta could respond with.

"As for the second question, I'd rather not tell any of you."

"Why is that?"

Reyv grimaced. Of course they didn't know about what had happened and naturally they'd be curious but he wasn't the right Manakete to ask about the Scouring or the years directly after. The fire dragon population was nearly wiped out during the Scouring, near the point of extinction on Elibe's side of the Gate, due to the fiery and hotheaded nature of fire dragons. Not to mention, both of his parents were killed simply for being dragons even after the war was over; effectively making him the last fire dragon on Elibe.

Pent seemed to realize Reyv's discomfort and quickly changed the topic. "Sophia, perhaps you should report to the council now. I'm sure the adepts are tired after their journey and from explaining all this to us. I'll make sure to take care of them." Sophia turned to leave but Pent stopped her. "Take Reyv with you, he's no help to me when he gets stuck in his pre-Scouring memories. Take your time on the way to the council."

Sophia turned and grabbed Reyv's cloak before giving it a small tug. "Huh, oh Sophia; what is it?" Reyv asked despite the distant look on his face.

"Pent said to take you with me," Sophia replied quietly.

"Oh, he did? Eh, whatever I guess I can tag along. Master seems to be better suited to answer their questions anyway."

"Of course," Sophia said as she walked out the door with Reyv following close behind.

Once they were gone Pent addressed the adepts, "I'd like for you to not mention the Scouring in Reyv's presence if possible."

"But what _is_ the Scouring?" Himi asked.

"In short, the Scouring was a war between humans and dragons despite living together in peace for quite a long time. The humans instigated the war and eventually managed to drive the dragons away to a place beyond the Dragon's Gate with the help of the Eight Heroes," Pent explained, "although there were dragons that chose not to fight. They set up a settlement here, naming it Arcadia, and have lived here since. Originally there were other humans here as well but, with Arcadia hidden so well and dragons so long living, only dragons remain; aside from me and my wife of course."

"So how old are they actually?" Reif asked.

"I'm not sure about Reyv since he's three fourths fire dragon; however, I believe that Sophia is a little more than a century old. Besides, dragons count their centuries instead of their years for simplicities sake. Anyway," Pent yawned, "I'm sure you're all tired much like I am. There's not much for beds here so a few of you will have to sleep on the ground. I'll look into what Bern's been doing recently to see if I can find out how and why they invaded when they were looking for someone who's on Elibe."

Pent led the adepts to the room next to his own where there were five beds and quickly left the room muttering something about a man named "Mark". Matthew gave up his bed to Sveta under the claim he liked sleeping on the ground just as much as a bed, Eoleo gave his bed up for Himi and Karis and Tyrell got into an argument about who would get the other bed. It seemed to be going in Tyrell's favor until Karis cast Plasma on Tyrell and took the bed before he could recover. Tyrell swore vengeance come whenever they woke up since it was probably around seven in the morning.

* * *

A/N: Well this chapter was kind of an info dump chapter but it had to be done. Hector and Eliwood barely got the spotlight this time around but it was to eliminate a plot hole that would probably leave people asking: "Wait how did Florina suddenly leave Ostia," or something like that. I apologize the for the delay but I had RL matters that needed to be attended to. As such it may be another month before there's another chapter because in two weeks (sixteen days actually) I'll be going to Japan for two weeks and be unable to type anything. Hopefully I'll be able to complete chapter four by then (spoilers: main focus is on Mark and Lyn with some of the adepts). Also thoughts/opinions on Reyv? I figured we needed a legit, transforming, dragon in the story because: one, there was none in FE7 and two, Fae/Fa is still stuck in Arcadia.


End file.
